Your Key Into the World of Ecology: Homestones

Blends of abrasive noises, animatronic performers, and mysterious producers juxtaposed with everyday inspiration are nothing out of the ordinary for the Philadelphia-based audio project, Ecology: Homestones (E:HS). The eccentricity I viewed in one of E:HS’ 15-second Tiktoks threw me into a spiral of curiosity and the need to know everything about the performance and project behind it. Ecology: Homestones’ music is similar to the well-known, 100 gecs, but with an added element of mystery. As a Philly native, I am familiar with the locations from which the project draws inspiration and thus felt inclined to conduct further research on the group. Little did I know the rabbit hole I was about to get myself into.

Graphic by Emily Koch

As their website describes, E:HS is “an audio/visual noise project started in 2020 by the FPPC, for you.” So, my first question was what the FPPC actually is. I reached out, successfully, and received the answer: “They run the show. The C stands for Club.” Pretty vague, right? This is just the beginning of a set of answers that seemed only to generate more questions for me. As I learned in my email correspondence with a member of the FPPC, E:HS started with exclusively audio in 2016, and the visuals developed around 2020, along with their impressively elaborate and mysterious backstory…which is about carrots. The oddity of this mythical story, including characters like a competitive gnome and mutilated carrot farmers, leaves fans perplexed but also wanting more.

With a ticket to one of their live demonstrations (which I hope to attend one day), audience members can expect exactly what I viewed on TikTok, and what the FPPC described to me: “two mutilated carrot farmers operating three small machines.” These animatronic carrot farmers, both coincidentally named Robert, perform the music produced by the FPPC which is often created through circuit bending. Audience members are granted entry into the strange story of E:HS; this satisfaction-driven knowledge pushes many to follow the project and become regular listeners. So, who would be interested in attending this strangely fantastic project? Me. But, also, as the FPPC member described to me, “finding the audience is the project” which requires repeatedly casting simultaneous nets—one wide net and one narrow—and a system of pulling in and filtering out. Repeat this until there’s only one audience member left and that is who E:HS is calling. It may be you…

Ecology: Homestones is an inclusively-exclusive club I feel lucky to have stumbled upon. As a listener, you are given the backstory and the music: just enough information to leave you craving more. However, this is not the end of E:HS’s mission—as if you journeyed far and finally found a golden chest, but you are missing the key. The listener must do the rest of the work, which is precisely Ecology: Homestones’ intention, thus attributing to their vague answers. The future of E:HS looks towards “A new album sometime soon this year. More live shows. Kindness.” In the meantime, check out their Instagram and TikTok accounts @ecologyhomestones to understand the spectacle I am explaining. It’s not for the weak of heart, or stomach.

And, until you find the key, practice kindness and enjoy the show. Who knows, maybe YOU are the key.